Turmoil continues in Egypt

Unrest continues in Egypt today despite President Mubarak's declaration that he will not contest the next election. Philip Williams reports from Cairo.

Transcript

TRACY BOWDEN, PRESENTER: In Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak has bowed to more than a week of people power pressure and announced he won't be seeking re-election in September.

But that concession hasn't satisfied the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators who turned out across the country overnight, demanding his immediate resignation.

In another setback, one of the embattled president's key allies, US President Barack Obama, has called for him to start handing over power immediately.

ABC correspondent Philip Williams filed this report after another dramatic night on the streets of Cairo.

PHILIP WILLIAMS, REPORTER: For hours and hours, tens of thousands have been streaming into the square. It's almost packed to capacity. All of them absolutely determined that this is the day that Mubarak will go. We don't know if that's how it's going to pan out, but these people's level of excitement and sense of possibility is almost boundless, and 30 years of repression, they feel, are about to end.

This is just one small example of that spontaneous people power. These people haven't been appointed by anyone. They're not police, they're not troops, but they've taken it upon themselves to provide some element of security, checking everyone's documents. And everywhere you go, you see people power expressing itself. Everywhere here people have taken it upon themselves, the responsibility of this protest. But the weird thing about it is there's no central organisation; it just seems to happen organically.

Did you ever think you'd see this day?

VOX POP: No. I was hoping. But for the situations we thought, it's just a dream. But today, no, it's a real day.

VOX POP II: "We need new constitution. We need new Parliament. We need jobs for everybody, for our kids. Everybody to live like (inaudible). We need money for go (inaudible) to come back to Egypt." We need democracy. That's all we need.

PHILIP WILLIAMS: It's an extraordinary situation. Just tens of thousands, probably more, completely disparate groups, no central organisation. (Inaudible), demonstrations over there; there are probably hundreds of different groups here, all expressing, though, the same view that they want Mubarak out, but will they have the same view about what they want in his place. And that is a very big question for this country.

(Protestor's sign reads, "This is Egypt, not Iran").

Why do you have this sign here?

PROTESTOR: Because the West thinks that the Muslim Brotherhood is the most powerful opposition cause in Egypt. But, no, we will not move from the military, a state government, and just move to a religious state. We don't want a religious state and we don't want a military state. We just want a (inaudible), secular constitution, a fair constitution.

PHILIP WILLIAMS: Some people here do want a religious state.

PROTESTOR: Well, well, the majority of the people here will not vote for Islamists if there was third elections.

PROTESTOR II: I am a lawyer, but I want freedom. I can't live in my country.

PROTESTOR III: I feel very unified. I'm very proud. Usually I'd be very scared to walk out in this crowd. People are all taking care of each other. They're all cleaning the streets. Muslims and Christians are together, even a Sheikh and a priest who are standing up together on one thing with one sign. It's very touching, because Hosni has always bred fear of religious extremism in this country and we've always been scared, we've always had our voices unheard.

PHILIP WILLIAMS: This is a very intense moment for you, isn't it?

PROTESTOR III: Yeah. It's very exciting ...

PROTESTOR IV: Very touching moment.

PROTESTOR III: It's actually revolutionary for us.

PHILIP WILLIAMS: People here have hoped that this was going to be all over tonight. The President (inaudible) on television to resign, but instead all he's done is say, "I won't run again." That leaves him in office until September. For these people, that's utterly unacceptable. They won't tolerate this. This protest will continue. This has been a long day. There may be many more long days to come.